Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike has been taken to hospital after surviving two doses of lethal-injection drugs during an attempted execution in Nashville, according to her lawyers and Tennessee officials.
Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, after being sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The execution was ultimately halted after two doses of pentobarbital were administered but Pike remained alive.
Christa Pike Taken to Hospital
Pike’s lawyers said she was transported from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution by ambulance and taken to a hospital for medical treatment. On October 1, her attorneys said she was in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care in Nashville.
The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed that Pike had been transported to an off-site medical facility after the execution attempt.
Two Doses of Lethal-Injection Drug Administered
According to court filings and reports from witnesses, officials administered two doses of pentobarbital during the attempted execution. Pike continued to show signs of life after the drugs were administered.
Media witnesses reported hearing Pike breathing and snoring after the execution procedure had begun. Her lawyers subsequently filed an emergency motion seeking to halt the execution.
Execution Had Been Temporarily Delayed
The attempted execution had already faced a legal delay earlier on September 30, when the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit temporarily stayed the procedure to consider a new legal filing concerning Pike’s case.
The US Supreme Court later cleared the way for Tennessee to proceed, allowing officials to resume the execution process.
Tennessee Orders Review
Following the failed execution attempt, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered a comprehensive third-party review into what happened and halted the state’s remaining scheduled executions for the rest of 2026.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said it followed every step of the state’s established execution protocol. The exact reasons Pike remained alive after the two doses remain under review.
Pike’s Death Sentence
Pike was convicted of the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a classmate at a job-training facility in Knoxville. Pike was 18 at the time of the killing and was sentenced to death in 1996.
She had been scheduled to become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. Her case has attracted renewed attention following the failed execution attempt and the subsequent decision by state authorities to suspend further executions for the year.
Investigation Underway
As Pike receives medical treatment, Tennessee authorities are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the execution attempt, including the administration of the lethal-injection drugs and the state’s execution procedures.
The Tennessee Department of Correction has maintained that its established protocol was followed, while Pike’s legal team has raised questions about the procedure and the medical care provided during the attempt.
The independent review ordered by Governor Lee is expected to provide further information about what led to the unsuccessful execution.
